The Toronto Tempo unveiled a non-binary snapping turtle mascot during their home game against the Indiana Fever, timing the announcement to coincide with Sophie Cunningham’s visit to the city.
The expansion franchise revealed Dez, a “borealis blue” snapping turtle from Muskoka, Ontario, who uses she/they pronouns and “has a fondness for soft shell tacos,” the team said in a Tuesday announcement. Dez is described as calm, clever, and “always thinking a few steps ahead,” with a name inspired by decibel as a nod to their love of music. The team also made sure to note that Dez is a Taurus.
Dez was introduced alongside Dot, an anthropomorphic arctic hare who uses she/her pronouns and serves as the turtle’s “partner in crime.” The duo marks the Tempo’s first official mascots in their inaugural WNBA season.
The mascot unveiling came during Toronto’s matchup with the Fever, the team employing Cunningham, 30, who has become one of the most polarizing figures in the league over her stance on transgender participation in women’s sports. The Missouri native has drawn both supporters and protesters at road games across the WNBA since making her views public.
Cunningham, who scored 13 points on 3-of-4 shooting with two rebounds and two assists in Tuesday’s game, first sparked the controversy during an ESPN interview on Aug. 5.
“I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men,” she told the network. She later defended her remarks as “common sense.”
Cunningham has maintained that her position is not rooted in exclusion. “I think there is room for absolutely everyone here, and I think there is room to love everyone,” she said in the same interview. “I truly think when you get people in the same room and you have conversations, you actually have a lot in common with a lot of people. And so I’m there to love.”
The comments, which polling shows align with majority American opinion on the issue, drew swift pushback from within the league. On Aug. 8, the WNBA players’ union issued a statement emphasizing that “We embrace justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion,” without naming Cunningham directly.
The controversy has followed Cunningham throughout the season, with rallies both backing and protesting her appearing at multiple Fever road games. The tension escalated on court when Chicago Sky guard DiJonai Carrington was ejected for a flagrant foul against Cunningham, then took to social media from the locker room to invoke “white privilege” in the aftermath.
Dez joins the Seattle Storm’s Doppler as one of only two non-binary mascots in the WNBA, marking a notable development in the league’s approach to representation through team branding. The Tempo’s announcement made no direct reference to Cunningham or the ongoing debate around transgender athletes, though the timing of the reveal during the Fever’s lone visit to Toronto this season drew immediate attention from fans and commentators.
The Tempo, one of two expansion teams joining the league in 2026 alongside the Portland Fire, have leaned into distinctive branding since their inception. The franchise previously teased fans with an April Fool’s Day post suggesting a “Metro Gnome” mascot before revealing the actual Dez and Dot characters.
In the viral moment that launched the ongoing controversy, Cunningham said on Aug. 5 that she wanted to protect young girls in sports from competing against biological men, framing her position as common sense while also expressing belief that there was room for everyone in the conversation. The remarks quickly polarized the WNB community, with the players’ union issuing its statement three days later and Carrington’s on-court incident adding fuel to the fire weeks afterward.
The Indiana Fever continue their road swing with a matchup against the Los Angeles Sparks.